In too Deep
by CrystalClear98
Summary: At an annual Holmes family Christmas party Molly, Mary, John and Lestrade are finding things out about Sherlock that they never believed possible. But danger is getting closer than any of them could anticipate as Moriarty is determined to bring Sherlock down, and anyone who stands in his way. But Moriarty may have go through someone unexpected to kill Sherlock.


**This is my first Sherlock fic but has been evolving in my brain for almost a year. Hope you like it :)**

Chapter One

Christmas was fast approaching but the tenant of 221B Baker Street barely noticed. Sherlock Holmes had been buried in clues as to Moriarty's survival and whereabouts for most of the year, coming out of the house only for incredibly interesting cases that may or may not have something to do with Moriarty.

However when John and Mary Watson entered the building to a very confused and bewildered Mrs Hudson and angry shouts from upstairs all three of them knew that something was finally stirring in the winds.

"Mummy says you have to Sherlock! You've managed to escape them for the last 6 years but enough is ENOUGH!" Upon entering the room John found an angry strawberry blonde haired girl shouting at Sherlock who was on the other side of the kitchen glaring back at her.

"Umm... is something going on that I should be aware of?" John asked, tentatively stepping into the room.

"Not at all John, Stella was just leaving."

"No I wasn't." She shot another glare at Sherlock and then turned to John with a smile. "You're invited too, you, Mary, Mrs Hudson, a Greg Lestrade and a Molly Hooper." It was as she said this John that he began to notice how similar her facial features were to Sherlock's. They even had the same blue eyes.

"Invited to what?" John asked looking from her to the now positively fuming Sherlock.

"The Holmes family Christmas party of course!" She shot a look at Sherlock and with one short sentence won whatever argument they'd been having. "Aunt May says you have to be there or else." And with that she swiftly left the room saying a quick hello to Mary who had just ventured up the stairs with little Angela in her arms.

"What was all that about?" Mary asked looking between Sherlock's angry face and John's bemused one.

"My sister was sent to tell me that I have to go to see the family for about two weeks of torture." Sherlock grumbled, running a hand through his black hair, a sign that John recognised as stress.

"Sister?" Mary looked as surprised as John.

"Mmm... suppose I have to go if they've sent Estella."

"When is it?" John asked as Sherlock began to pick things up that looked like they'd been thrown across the room.

"Starts tomorrow, Christmas Eve to New Year's Day. Two _weeks_ of family. I'm going to be driven insane." He sounded to resigned to his fate that John almost felt sorry for him.

"Are we actually invited or was she just winding you up?" Mary asked, thinking that it was most likely to be the latter. That is until Sherlock pointedly looked at the table. John picked up four cream cards with gold fancy writing on them.

"That's posh." John observed, meanwhile Mary had sat Angela on the floor whilst she busily texted both Molly and Lestrade about this new event.

"Unfortunately those cards are handwritten by Josh, which means that you really have no choice in the matter." John looked at him in amazement.

"Handwritten?"

"Mmm... boy has unnaturally girly handwriting."

"Molly and Lestrade are packing now." Mary said, her victorious smile in place as Sherlock groaned. "Mrs Hudson! did you want to come with us to Sherlock's family's Christmas Party!" She called down the stairs. Unfortunately Mrs Hudson was going to her sister's for Christmas so she said, that although she would dearly love to meet Sherlock's family she couldn't make it.

That is how Sherlock found himself, the very next morning sat in the front passenger seat next to Estella, with Mary, Molly and Angela in her car seat in the back seats and Lestrade and John in the boot seats of Estella's 4X4.

"Bit of a tight squeeze but it's only a few hours to Hertfordshire." She said cheerily.

"She's only cheerful because she would've been ambushed by the rest of the family had she gone home without me." Sherlock grumbled, for which he received a slap round the back of the head from his still smiling sister.

Mary and Molly fell asleep soon after baby Angela did, whilst John confided to Lestrade that he suspected that they were going to a relative of Sherlock's house instead of his parents as he distinctly remembered going a different way to get to Sherlock's parents' cottage.

They'd been going down a gravelly road for about half an hour when Estella half turned in her seat to face those in the back.

"We'll be there in a mo, if you want to wake them up." She said nodding her head at Mary and Molly.

Mary and Molly woke up just as they rounded a corner in the road and the first thing they saw was the most beautiful old manor house they had ever seen. Molly let out a little gasp and John started choking on a breath mint.

"Home sweet home!" Estella said with a laugh at their open mouths and John's choking.

"Home? I thought your parents lived in a cottage Sherlock!" John had finally managed to stop choking as they drew near to the house.

"They didn't want to overwhelm you." He said it so quietly that they barely heard him. His eyes were on the stone slabs to the side of the house.

"Are those graves?" Molly asked warily, eyeing them and the effect they seemed to be having on the consulting detective.

"Yes, every Holmes is buried there." Estella looked like she wanted to reach out and touch Sherlock's arm as they both stared at one grave in particular. "'Cept Sea Shells of course!" The nickname was supposed to call him back to earth, supposed to annoy him. It did get his attention, but only a glare.

As they got their bags out of the car Lestrade noticed something.

"Sherlock where are your bags?"

"Don't need any, got stuff here."

Just as they got to the door Sherlock froze and turned to his sister.

"It's quiet."

"Your observation skills know no bounds." Estella rolled her eyes.

"You told them I was coming, didn't you?"

"Maybe..."

"I'm a dead man."

He quietly opened the front door and as everyone collect in what Estella jokingly called the 'Entrance Hallway'. It was a large hall with stairs going up the right side and a large hallway lined with doors was on the left. The ceiling had handpainted pictures across it and a beautiful gold chandelier hung from the ceiling and several smaller versions hung down from along the hallway.

Sherlock breathed out. He jinxed it. A war cry sounded out across the 'Hallway'.

"Sherlock's back!"

"UNCLE SHERLOCK'S HERE!"

And then a chorus of, "GET HIM!"

Sherlock was knocked off his feet so fast that nobody saw what hit him until he they looked down. Several children were clambering all over him. And when they looked up several more were pointing Nerf arrows at him through the hand carved bannisters.

"Tell us where they are! Or we'll make you suffer!" One of the smaller boys on top of him said pointing an arrow at his head.

"You might want to back up." Estella pointed to the corner of the 'Hallway' that appeared to be safe. They all backed in to it.

"Never!" Sherlock was shouting. You'll have to kill me!"

"Oh we will." The boy assured him in a calm voice. "But first we want the treasure."

"Treasure?" John asked looking just as confused as the others.

"Food. Sherlock's a bit of a squirrel and one year the kids figured out what was going on. Ever since they've treated it as a bit of a game. He hides the food, they try to find it. Only Sherlock moves it if he thinks their getting close. So they gave up looking and just bully it out of him. Not that it's hard, he's a bit of softy when it comes to kids." Estella explained, watching Sherlock being 'tortured' (tickled).

"I didn't even know Sherlock _was_ ticklish." Lestrade said watching as Sherlock stood up, trying to escape but only succeeding in dragging the children along behind him as they clutched onto various limbs.

"I didn't realise he was so..." Molly struggled to find the right words.

"Good with kids." Mary finished for her.

"Oh yeah, loves them. Be a great dad." Estella told them. They looked on in amazement as the children proceeded to fire Nerf arrows at him. The weight of the children and the Nerf arrows being shot at him brought Sherlock down again and as about fifteen more children clambered on top of him he yelled,

"All right! I surrender! I surrender!" The children cheered and the small boy who seemed to be in charge leaned down to hear the secret location and what he was looking for. Then they all ran after their appointed leader yelling war cries.

Sherlock scrambled to his feet, face red from laughing and was about to say something when an ungodly screech echoed through the 'Hallway'.

"WILLIAM SHERLOCK SCOT HOLMES! WHAT _HAVE _YOU DONE TO YOUR HAIR!" An elderly woman had rolled herself out of one of the rooms to the left in a wheelchair and was staring at Sherlock with a look that could only be described as pure horror.

"Aunt May-"

"Don't you Aunt May _me_ boy! Estella warned me about this but I never believed it. However she has also informed me that there is special dye remover in the third bathroom. Remove that _poison_ immediately!"

Sherlock slumped upstairs a miserable scowl on his face, the elderly woman he had called Aunt May rolled back into the room she had rolled out of and Estella had to sit down from lack of oxygen that may have had something to do with the fact that she had yet to stop laughing.

"_Hair dye?"_ Lestrade said, completely lost at this point. It was at this moment that Angela woke up and started crying, so, taking a deep breathe, Estella gave her directions to the ground bathroom.

"Yes hair dye. He did it when he went to uni, champion boxers don't have strawberry blonde hair after all." Now that she was able to breathe she was also able to explain that incident to them.

"Didn't know he did boxing." John muttered.

"Oh yes, top boxer of Cambridge University. Nobody could beat him... except for me of course."

"Wait a second! You and Sherlock are twins aren't you!" Molly cried, the revelation hitting her in the face.

"Yes, and no matter what he tells you _I'm _the oldest. He came ten minutes after me, they wanted to do a caesarian but mum wasn't having it. He was the lazy one." Estella said smugly, then she grabbed Mary's bag and headed for the stairs.

"Come on, I'll show you to the guest rooms. They're all on the first floor."

**Please review, I can't improve unless I get feedback :)**


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